I Am an Architect

By the Numbers

Well, it has been a long time coming, but today I submitted my application for an architectural licensure. Yes, I am finally going to be a real "architect." (I have sometimes felt like Pinnochio as he wished to become a "real boy"!) With luck, the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Architects will review my application at their next meeting, and I will be licensed in the next month or so.

Becoming an architect takes passion, time, and perseverance. Let's take a look at some important numbers along the journey, shall we.

2

Number of professions I seriously considered before architecture. Growing up, I wanted to be either a marine biologist or a commercial airline pilot. To this day, I still enjoy the water (though I hate sand) and I love to fly!

12

Age at which my best friend wanted to be an architect. He had a book about Frank Lloyd Wright. He ended up becoming an engineer instead.

11

Grade in which I took a drafting class. We had to "design" a master bedroom addition to an existing house.

2

Number of colleges I attended. I was an undergraduate student at Georgia Tech and a graduate student at Yale.

7

Number of years I studied architecture in school. I studied four years at Georgia Tech and three years at Yale.

18

Age at which I started studying architecture.

29

Age at which I submitted my application to become licensed.

11

Number of years between starting my studies and becoming licensed.

1000+

Number of times in the past 11 years I have been asked whether Frank Lloyd Wright is my favorite architect.

1000+

Number of times I have had to answer the above mentioned question in the negative.

7

Number of professional exams I took to become licensed.

5

Number of months it took me to take above mentioned exams.

5600

Number of hours of work experience required to become licensed.

9070

Number of hours of work experience it took me to fulfill all categories.

20

Age at which I first worked in an architecture firm.

5

Number of architecture firms I have worked for.

5.5

Number of years I have worked for my current employer.

Ahh Yes, the Letter I've Been Waiting For

Score!

I passed “Construction Documents & Services”!

I received the score report in the mail today with a nice “PASS” on the top. This leaves only one unknown score for my seventh exam, “Programming, Planning & Practice,” which I took back on March 23rd. NCARB seem to be getting quicker with their score processing, so I hope to see this report within the next couple of weeks.

Now that I have pushed through and completed all of my exams (pending that last “PASS” of course), I am trying desperately to finish my last IDP hours in a timely manner. One of the benefits of requesting licensing in Massachusetts is that they allowed me to take my AREs while still completing my IDP—but now I am in this funny situation where I have finished my exams but not my IDP!

At my performance review last summer I challenged myself to complete all of the licensing requirements by this year’s performance review mid-summer. I called it “the year of professional development.” This was a tough goal to begin with and it has taken some work and perseverance to complete so quickly (I became a LEED AP last fall and started my AREs in October), but I think the goal is still tenable.

It would also be nice to have completed all this stuff before travelling to Brazil, which could be as early as this summer. Ah, but that is another story! For that, please visit Kim’s and my adoption blog, Perfect Provision.

Seven Down, Zero to Go

Today I took my seventh (and last!) ARE: Programming, Planning & Practice.  I felt pretty comfortable with the material covered so I hope I did well on the exam.  As always, though, I just have to wait for the score.

And speaking of scores, when I got home from the testing center, I was happy to see a letter from NCARB informing me I had passed my fifth exam (Building Systems), which I took back in mid-February!  This leaves only my score for the final two exams up in the air.

Pending a passing score for these last two exams, I expect to be able to finish all of my IDP requirements in the next month or two, at which point I will be able to apply for my license!  It definitely feels good to be in the home stretch for this particular step in my professional development.  After all, I have only been studying and practicing architecture for the past 11 years of my life!

Six Down, One to Go

Yesterday I took my sixth ARE:  Construction Documents and Services.  The multiple choice portion of the test was quite difficult, so I am not sure how confident to feel with my performance.  I studied quite a lot for the exam, but I think there were some nuances of contractual issues that I should have brushed up on a little more.  I hope they will not leave me hanging too long waiting for my score!

I also scheduled my last exam (Programming, Planning, and Practice) for later on in March.  I am pretty tired of taking tests so I decided just to power through studying for it and get 'em done!

Another One Down

Today I received another ARE score in the mail:  I passed "Building Design & Construction Systems."  This was the quickest turn-around I have experienced so far with the scoring report (about five weeks).

I hope this bodes well for prompt scoring on my last two tests, one of which is scheduled two weeks from yesterday.  My mantra these days is "just get 'em done!"  I want my license by summer.

Five Down, Two to Go

Today I took my "Building Systems" exam. This particular test covers mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems with a couple of calculations and code requirements thrown in for good measure. I left the testing center feeling relatively comfortable with my performance, although there were a few calculations I did not have time to complete in time and so my answers were basically my first guess.

As with my other exams, I expect it will be about two months or so before I hear whether I passed or not, at which point I hope I will have completed my last two exams remaining!

Pass, Pass

This past weekend I got some very good news in the mail:  I passed two more AREs!  This means that, as of today, I have passed 3 of my exams (Site Planning & Design, Structural Systems, and Schematic Design), I am awaiting one score for a test I took in January, and I have 3 more tests to go.  I have been diligent about following my "one test every 4 weeks" schedule and so I will be taking Building Systems next week.  This keeps me on track to finish testing in April, which was my goal when I started taking the AREs in October.

Four Down, Three to Go

This afternoon I took my fourth ARE:  "Building Design & Construction Systems."  I think this was probably the hardest of the tests I have taken so far because the range of topics covered was very broad and so it felt difficult to prepare for.  Also, there were three drawing components to complete in 2 hours 45 minutes, which felt a little tight.  As with the other drawing components I have taken, when you get near the end of the testing time, you have to make a decision:  do I nit-pick and play around with my proposed solution to make it better (and risk submitting an incomplete solution when the time runs out!), or do I leave it as it is, even though it may include minor mistakes.  I have chosen the latter option each time:  it is, I think, far better to have a complete solution with a few mistakes than to have one that really is not complete at all.

Although I did feel the test was fairly difficult, I left the testing facility feeling comfortable if not confident in my performance.  However, like the other two tests I am awaiting scores for, I will hold my true celebration until receiving my final score in the mail, whenever that may be!

Each time I get nervous about the tests, I have to remind myself that I do not have to overperform, I simply have to meet the minimum requirements.  I am generally not a "minimum requirements" kind of guy, but in this case I am just trying to power through all 7 exams as quickly as I reasonably can.  Next up, "Building Systems" in February!

I Passed My First ARE!

Today in the mail I (finally!) received the score for my first ARE (Site Planning & Design), which I took back in October.  I am pleased to report that I passed!

According to NCARB's website, Prometric recently experienced some scoring delays related to the new ARE 4.0.  I am hoping these kinks are worked out now and it will not take more than two months to grade each of the other tests.  Perhaps by the time I take my fourth test in mid-January, I will know whether I passed the other two I have already taken.

Before I started taking my tests, several of my recently-licensed friends advised me to set a pretty steady test-taking schedule and stick to it.  I have been successful so far in sticking to my one-test-a-month schedule so far, and with continued perseverance (and passing grades!) I will complete all my tests by April!

Three Down, Four to Go

I just got back from taking my third registration exam: Schematic Design. The test material was not really difficult, but the time constraints made it feel a bit difficult. In the first of two exercises, I had one hour to lay out the interior partitions and furniture for a suite of offices. In the second, I had four hours to lay out the schematic plans for a two-story building given a specific program and code requirements. Neither of these exercises created great architecture, but I hope that I was able to fulfill the program and code requirements sufficiently. There were certainly some things I wished I could have clarified or tweaked, but at a some point, you are just beyond the point of no return! I know I could have been more clear on a few components of each layout, but I am hoping that I made only minor, non-critical errors in the exam.

As with the other two exams I have already taken, I will reserve judgment on the level of difficulty of the test until I receive my scores; however, I do feel optimistic and hopeful that this particular exam went pretty smoothly.

Incidentally, I have not yet received any scores from my other two exams, even though I took the first one two months ago. Maybe I'll get a few passing scores for Christmas!

Two Down, Five to Go

Today I took my second A.R.E.: Structural Systems. I must say, it was much better than I had expected. Going into the test, I was thinking "bloodbath," but I am cautiously optimistic that I sustained only a few minor flesh wounds in this battle! I certainly was not over-prepared for the test, but I definitely was not under-prepared either.

Now it is a matter of waiting for my score. Incidentally, I have not yet received my score from Site Planning & Design, which I took four weeks ago. While I wait for the scores from both of these tests, I am going to prepare for my next test (Schematic Design) which I scheduled for December 16th. This meets my goal of completing 3 tests before Christmas, and at the rate of 1 per month, I am well underway to being finished with all 7 of my tests by next April!

Site Planning & Design

Well, I did it!  Yesterday I took my first ARE:  "Site Planning & Design."  This was the first of seven tests I will have to take in order to achieving my architectural registration.  Though I feel pretty comfortable with my performance, I will have to wait a few weeks until I receive my official score (pass or fail) in the mail.

The test included 65 multiple-choice questions over 1.5 hours and two graphic/drawing components over 2 hours.  I felt adequately-prepared by reading a study guide, taking several study tests, and by practicing with the drafting software (which is quite a bit different from AutoCAD).

Next on the docket:  I'm going to try to take "Structural Systems" and "Schematic Design" before Christmas!

ARE You Nervous?

Today I did it!  I registered for my first ARE (Architect Registration Exam)!

After seven years of school and three-and-a-half years of full-time employment, it has been a long time coming.  So, on October 21st at 12:30 in the afternoon I will sit to take the the first of seven registration exams:  "Site Planning & Design."  As I am still completing some final IDP (Intern Development Program) requirements toward licensing, I will be taking my registration exams for the state of Massachusetts, which (unlike Connecticut) allows candidates to sit for the AREs before finishing IDP.  This will hopefully allow me to complete both in a timely manner.  My goal is to be licensed sometime next spring, or before Kim and I bring our children home from Brazil, whichever comes first.  (Hopefully the kids come home first!)

Yikes, I had better get crackin'.

LEED On

This summer, Pickard Chilton announced a new initiative to have all of our designers become Accredited Professionals in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program by the fall. After a few nervous weeks of reading and studying, I passed the exam earlier today and am now officially a LEED AP!

Hopefully this past month of preparing for my LEED exam will help me get in the habit of studying for my next big professional step: licensing!

AREs (all 7 of you) here I come!